


Sea of Love

by agrajag



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Derek Nurse had ADHD, First Kiss, Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-14
Updated: 2017-12-14
Packaged: 2019-02-14 13:06:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13008420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agrajag/pseuds/agrajag
Summary: "That, uh, sounded tense," Dex said carefully."Huh?" Nursey said. "Oh, uh, yeah. That was my friend Sean. He was supposed to go with me to see The National this weekend, but now he can't go.""Oh, that sucks. Is he selling his ticket? One of your other friends can buy it.""I wish it were that simple," he said. "I bought the tickets for both of us, as payment for him driving us. I don't have any other friends with cars. Ugh.""Well, uh, I..." Dex said as he wrung his hands. "I've got my truck."





	Sea of Love

"Oh, dude, are you serious?" Derek practically shouted into his phone.

Dex tried not to flinch. He was sitting at their shared desk, working on an assignment, and Derek had been sprawled out on the floor working on one as well when he got the call. Clearly something was wrong, given his tone, which was, like, right in Dex's ear. He swiveled around in the chair and saw the mass of papers strewn across the floor with Derek now sitting up in the middle, pushing his beanie off as he finished the phone call. He ran his fingers through his hair.

"That, uh, sounded tense," Dex said carefully.

"Huh?" Nursey said. "Oh, uh, yeah. That was my friend Sean. He was supposed to go with me to see The National this weekend, but now he can't go."

"Oh, that sucks. Is he selling his ticket? One of your other friends can buy it."

Nursey sighed and fell back onto the floor, sending his papers flying into the air.

"I wish it were that simple," he said. "I bought the tickets for both of us, as payment for him driving us. I don't have any other friends with cars. Ugh."

Nursey picked up the papers that hadn't flown away and tossed those aside as well.

"Well, uh, I..." Dex said as he wrung his hands. "I've got my truck."

Nursey scoffed.

"No offense, man, but it's The National. Not exactly your type of music."

"Hey, I've been better at listening to new stuff," Dex pointed out. "And do you want a ride or not?"

"Yes, yes, yes," Nursey said quickly. "But I get to pick your outfit."

"Seriously man?" Dex asked, but Nursey had gone back to arranging his poems.

Dex sighed and went back to his paper as well. If he was going away for the weekend, or even part of the weekend, he had to get everything done before the week was over.

That Saturday evening Dex tried not to freak out as Nursey pulled every piece of his clothing from their closet as he tried to pick out an outfit "appropriate" for the concert. Eventually he settled on Dex's oldest pair of jeans and the one flannel he owned without a grease stain on it.

"So my shirt can't be messed up, but my jeans can be?" Dex asked, confused.

"Holes are in," Nursey said simply. "You should also wear a beanie."

"I only have caps and, like, actual winter hats."

"You're ridiculous," Nursey muttered. He grabbed his green beanie where it had been discarded on the floor and tossed it at Dex. "Wear this one, then."

Dex pulled it on and then turned around. "So do I pass, then?"

"Oh," Nursey said as he looked at Dex and froze. "Oh, uh, yeah. Yep. You'll definitely fit in."

"Alright. Cool," Dex said awkwardly. "Alright. Well, let's get going then. Don't wanna be late."

"Yes," Nursey said, snapping back to normal. "Let's see. Wallet, keys, _the tickets_. Can't forget those. Okay. I think I have everything."

"Hey. Nurse."

Nursey looked over and saw Dex holding his phone.

"Oh, yeah. Thanks man."

Dex smiled. "No problem. Now we're ready."

They headed out, waving goodbye to Chowder and Farmer who were watching TV in the living room, and piled into Dex's truck. Nursey immediately took over the music selection. Dex allowed it since it wasn't going to be a long drive. When he had looked up the directions the other day, he realized it was a quick trip, but it was out of the way of public transit. No wonder Nursey needed a ride.

When they stopped at a red light, Dex tried to pull his beanie - well, Nursey's beanie - down over his ears.

"How do you wear these?" he asked. "It keeps popping up. It's uncomfortable."

"Not my fault your big ears make it pop up," Nursey jokd.

"What's the point in a hat if it doesn't keep your ears warm?"

"Baseball hats," Nursey said loudly, throwing his hands up. "You wear baseball hats all the time. They don't keep your ears warm."

"They keep the sun out of your eyes. They serve a different purpose."

The light changed and Dex started driving again. Nursey didn't bother him while he was driving, which was a new development. Dex normally would have to tell Nursey to knock it off sometimes, but they'd been getting along more thanks to living together, and Dex was glad to see it was crossing over into other aspects of their lives. So, instead of continuing to bicker, Nursey began singing along with the song that was playing. It wasn't anything he had played for Dex before, but it was similar to most of the music Nursey played. The melody was quiet, and Nursey's voice was soft as he sang. Dex had always loved Nursey's voice, but he was used to hearing it belting out show tunes with Holster os scream-singing a Destiny's Child song with Bitty at a kegster.

"We're almost there," Dex said after a couple more songs had passed. "Are you ready?"

"Dude, I'm so excited," Nursey said sincerely. "It'll be my first time seeing them."

"Well, I'm glad I could make that happen," Dex said as he pulled into a parking spot.

"Have I said thank you yet?" Nursey asked as they got out of the truck, and then continued speaking over the hood. "Because thank you. You're the best."

Dex smiled, and he was probably blushing as well.

"Thanks, man. It's the least I could do."

Nursey wrapped his arm around Dex's shoulder as they made their way to the line outside of the venue. Dex tried to not let it show how much it affected him to have Nursey so close. He busied himself with looking around, and he noticed that he actually did fit in pretty well, and the beanie definitely was part of that. He pulled the beanie down again. The line started moving in no time, and they were able to get a good spot in front of the stage. Nursey started bouncing around on his feet and accidentally jostled Dex.

"I'm so excited," Nursey shouted.

"I can see that," Dex said with a laugh.

The first opening act set up and began playing. They were a little more upbeat then the songs Dex had heard from The National, and the crowd was dancing. Nursey had been basically dancing beforehand, and he was swaying to the beat with intent. He kept trying to get Dex to dance with him. Dex laughed and pushed him away at first, but eventually he caved in and danced with Nursey. Before he knew it, the band had played their last song and were packing up.

"That was great," Nursey shouted over the crowd. "Do you need water or anything?"

"No, I'm good."

"Cool. Hold our spot, then, while I go get some for myself."

Nursey bounched away, leaving Dex alone in a sea of people 'too cool' for him. He started toying with a loose thread coming from one of the holes in the thigh of his jeans. Someone tapped on his shoulder, and thinking it was Nursey, Dex turned around smiling bright, but it wasn't Nursey. A guy with a beard, several piercings, and of course a beanie, was smiling back at him.

"Hey, dude, didn't mean to frighten you. I just wanted to say it's so cool to see you and your boyfriend dancing and having a good time. I mean, overall, it's so great to see fellow queer people being open and themselves. So, thanks, man."

"Oh, uh, you're welcome? But, he's not my... we're just friends."

"Oh, I see," the man said, his entire demeanor changing. "Well, that's good for me, actually, then. I'm Brian. Can I give you my number?"

"Uh, wow, not that I don't appreciate it, but, uh, no thanks."

Brian shrugged. "Hey, no worries. Doesn't hurt to ask. Enjoy the show."

Brian walked away just as Nursey returned with a bottle of water. He watched Brian for a moment and then started at Dex in disbelief.

"Dex, was... was that guy... _hitting_ on you?"

"Uh, sort of."

Nursey laughed. "What does 'sort of' even mean? Either he was or he wasn't."

"Okay, so he was. Are you happy now?"

"Maybe. What did you say to him?"

Dex frowned. Ever since he had come out, the team had been overly supportive, much like they had been with Bitty, he learned. Bitty had told him about that one Winter Screw date and the endless access to the Sin Bin. He didn't want them to treat him like that, though he was happy that they accepted him of course, but Ransom had already made up a spread sheet for possible guys for Dex to go out with, and some of the money that had originally been for Hausgiving pies was given to Dex to buy a new wrench to replace his old, rusty one. The worst was Nursey, though. Because he didn't seem to care when guys like Brian hit on Dex.

"I said no thanks."

"No thanks? Dex, I mean this in the nicest ways possible, but you're weird. How is that even a way to react to being hit on by a hot guy?"

The next band began playing before Dex could respond. They were slower, like Dex had expected from the warm up acts, so he assumed the crowd wouldn't be dancing much. He tried to not let it get him down that he wouldn't be able to dance with Nursey. Surprisingly to him, though, the crowd weren't standing completely still. They were swaying or bobbing their heads. Dex started tapping his foot along with the beat as Nursey leaned in and cupped his hand around Dex's ear.

"You like them?" he asked.

"They're alright. A little slow."

"Aw, don't be sad, Dexy. We can still dance."

Nursey grabbed Dex's hand and pulled him toward his chest.

"Nurse, what are you..."

Nursey shushed him, rested his cheek on Dex's shoulder, and began to lead them through a slow dance. As they turned, Dex could see Brian watching them with utter disbelief. Dex offered him a weak smile, but it didn't matter because he and Nursey had already made a complete turn. They continued dancing through the next several songs, but when they band started talking before they started the next one, Dex gently pushed himself away from Nursey.

"Is something wrong?" he asked. He looked confused.

"No, I'm just, uh, I'm done dancing for right now. Gotta save some moves for the main act, right?"

Nursey looked over his shoulder, where Brian and his friends were, and turned back to Dex.

"You _were_ interested in that guy. Why did you say 'no thanks' then? You don't have to worry about me cramping your style."

"Nursey, man, let it go." The band had started the next song by then, so he had to yell to be heard.

"I don't think I should," Nursey yelled back. "You are allowed to have fun."

"Yeah, I get that. I just don't wanna have fun with him, okay?"

"Not your type?"

"Not even close," Dex muttered.

"What?"

"I said it's irrelevant," Dex shouted.

"So, what is your type, then?"

"Shouldn't you be paying attention to the band?" Dex asked.

So, of course, the band announced that was their last song and exited the stage.

"So, what's your type, then, Dexy? Ransom wasn't even able to find out, and he's like scary good at that, for some reason."

"Nurse, you don't wanna do this right now," Dex said through gritted teeth. "You wanna watch The National and have a good time."

"Oh, man, I'm sorry. I know I can be pushy, and now you're mad at me."

Dex sighed.

"It's alright. And I know. It's part of your charm, though," he said with a laugh.

Nursey's mouth dropped open and his hand shot out and grabbed Dex's arm.

"Oh my God. It's me! I'm your type!"

Dex paled.

"Nursey..."

"Dude, please say yes so I can stop pretending to be happy for you when hot guys hit on you."

"Wait, seriously? You've been killing me. You always seemed so..."

"What?" Nursey asked, but Dex could tell he knew what Dex had been about to say.

"Chill," Dex said and they both started laughing.

"Well, I wasn't," Nursey admitted. "When I saw that guy talking to you, I wanted to punch him. Which is stupid, I know. He didn't do anything."

"Yeah, that is kinda stupid, but also sweet."

"No, sweet was all the dancing." Nursey put his hands on Dex's shoulders and made him sway. "Did I woo you with my dancing skills?"

"Yeah, yeah. You did. You can stop that now."

"You'll dance with me during The National? During a romantic one? All romantic and shit?"

"Do they even have love songs?" Dex asked.

Nursey didn't answer him. He pulled Dex in and kissed him softly on the lips. When Dex pulled back, Nursey's eyes were closed and he was smiling.

"That was amazing, but there's been a lot of PDA tonight... and this is all really new to me..."

"I understand. And you're right. I want to enjoy the rest of the show," Nursey said as he threaded his fingers with Dex's. "I wanna enjoy it wiith my boyfriend."

Dex squeezed Nursey's hand.

"Yeah. I like the sound of that."

"Alright, so now that that's outta the way, I gotta say, seeing you wearing my beanie was messing with me."

Dex subconciously went to fix the beanie with his free hand.

"I actaully forgot I was wearing it, there."

Nursey laughed.

"Well, I sure didn't."

Parts of the audience started screaming, and looking up, Dex saw that The National was coming onto the stage. He and Nursey held hands as Nursey sang along with every song the band played. At one point, Dex somehow caught Brian's eye. Brian smiled at him and Dex smiled back before mouthing 'thank you.' Brian laughed and gave Dex a wave.

As they were leaving the concert hall, Dex checked show times on his phone.

"So, do you know a band called Grizzly Bear? They're playing the next weekend we have off."

Nursey paused where he had been opening the passenger door.

"You wanna go to another show with me?"

"Yeah. I had a lot of fun tonight."

"Okay. Get in the truck right now." Dex was confused, but he did as Nursey said, and was immediately bombarded with kisses all over his face. "I'll check out if there's still tickets now. Also, if there's anything, any event, you want to go to, let me know."

They drove home with Nursey's music playing softly, two more concert tickets in their mail boxes, and several more stolen kisses at red lights.

**Author's Note:**

> i mean i tagged this derek nurse had adhd which i tapped on in another fic but there really is only a few glimpses of that but i mean... derek nurse has adhd
> 
> title taken from sea of love by the national which is actually quite heart breaking but i mean dex and the sea i had to
> 
> also like my tenth nurseydex fic but the first time i'm writing from dex's pov so i hope i did a good job with it


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